luck

How divination works and the 9th house

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A short post today.

The 9th house is the house of luck, divine blessings, your auspicious merits from your past lives, guidance of the Guru, ancestors, the help you get from your seniors etc (post here). Jyotish is a Vedang and we use it to know more about our own selves. When you go to an astrologer to know about your charts, you are doing it because of the power of your 9th house inspires you to do so. You want to change your luck. To seek answers and to receive them needs an auspicious 9th house. In most Indian languages, we address Jyotishis as Guru-ji, ie we request guidance from the Parmeshwar in the form of a reading. 

A genuine Jyotishi has a Vidya and knows that if he puts price on it, the negative karma of the client will attach to him. He can only accept Dakshina willingly offered by the client. Earlier, if you wanted to consult a Jyotishi, you would go to him on an auspicious day. Offer him some flowers, fruit, money, betel leaves if you could, a Namaskar with gratitude and ask your question. He would not check how much money you had given or ask for more. He would answer to the best of his capacity (his 1-5-9 houses) and as per the punya/ auspicious merits (9th house) of the client. The only reason where he would refuse to answer, was if the omens, Shakun, were unfavourable. Omens are linked to the workings of the 9th house of the querent.

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Shakun are important in the practice of Jyotish. A Jyotishi is also called a Daivednya, ie someone who can fathom the destiny, fate, predestined events, tangles of karma, Will of the Universe etc. (This is mainly connected to the 9th house of the client.) When you understand that you are exploring the workings of intelligent consciousness, you realise that the environment around you also offers answers. In fact the querent himself carries the answers with him. There are several books on Shakun-s which you can refer to. Shakun-s are also discussed in books on Prashna.

Shakun can be anything, the items which the client has offered to the astrologer, the gestures that the client makes as he is asking the question, the first word that the client speaks, the sound of birds/ animals in the area etc. This includes observing your own self, the Swar in your own breath can give you so many answers if you are aware. Intuition should always be acknowledged, this is also a part of the Shakun, ie if you or the client feels uneasy, confused, there is a sense of weight, stifling energy,  disturbing images flash in your mind or you feel positive, happy etc. Or some object falls down or if there is an accident on the street or you hear people arguing somewhere or you hear soothing music from the room next to yours.

All these things indicate the energy of the moment and hint at the answer to the questions. So when a client approaches an astrologer with a question, his behaviour, your own behaviour and the environment together subtly supply the answers even without referring to the charts. While reading for a client with a strong 9th house, there will be powerful and obvious Shakun during the reading. And a Jyotishi with a powerful 5th house will be more capable in understanding them. In the Mahabharat, the King of Gandhar was an expert at reading omens so was given the title ‘Shakuni’. 

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Jyotish is not for everyone. Divination tools work only for those charts who have an auspicious Dharma trikon, ie the 1st 5th 9th houses have to be powerful, especially the 9th house. The 9th house and its lord indicate the strength of your blessings. The help that you get. Getting a proper reading is a help from the Universe on a grand scale. In your study sample (post here), observe people who have a damaged 9th house/lord and then observe people who have a strong 9th house/lord. There will be a very marked difference in these two types of people. Unexpected support, lucky choices, a random event which helps, a nudge from the Universe at the right time, the 9th house plays a subtle and pivotal role in life.

The ‘luck’ that your 9th house represents, manifests as guidance from the astrologer. That critical spark of luck is provided by the Jyotishi, who is reading your chart at this time. If your 9th house is damaged at birth, then advice given by astrologers will rarely work for you. You might not believe in divination methods, thus not approach astrologers in the first place. The 9th house is so important that even if your 9th lord in transit gets debilitated or unfavourably placed etc, you will not be able to make full use of the astrologer’s guidance. However even for those who have a damaged 9th house/lord at birth, if he gains some power in transit, then for this time duration you will temporarily be more lucky in life.

This concept also works for the astrologer himself. A good astrologer will have a powerful Dharma trikon in his birth chart. Especially the 5th house has to be very auspicious. The 5th house/lord is connected to Mantra-siddhi (post here). ‘Mantra’ is a Sanskrit word which also means discussions, advice and guidance. To be able to give good advice, the 5th house has to support you. The 1st house is the overall personality. You have to look convincing enough for people to approach and seek help from you. And finally your 9th house is your own ability to be the respected senior, peer, teacher, guide. But even if you have this auspiciousness in your birth chart, the ability to divine varies with the Mahadasha and the transits. Observe your own self and note how the Dasha/ transits affect your ability to read. Eg when my Dharmesh, ie 9th lord gets combust or retrograde, debilitated or afflicted by malefics in transit, I do not feel inclined to do readings. I obviously can if I need to, but it feels like a chore. When he comes out of these effects, I feel the change within me, things start flowing again. I wrote my maximum posts when my Mantresh, ie 5th lord was favourably placed in relation to my 5th house. Creativity was on an all time high and I was driven to write. And when my Lagnesh, ie 1st lord is debilitated in transit, I simply do not think about charts, my past lives karma comes up demanding my attention. The best, ie divinely inspired readings, are when the Dharma trikon gets power in transit. When this happens, I don’t even need to see the charts, the required information just flashes before me. 

Thus if the astrologer you are consulting is going through a bad period, he will not be able to answer your questions appropriately. And you might need to take a second opinion from someone else. Generally during such adverse periods, a genuine astrologer will not take clients and focus on setting his own energy right. 

And if a competent astrologer’s readings fail to work for you, don’t blame Jyotish or the astrologer. Instead do some remedies for the 9th house and things will fall into place automatically.

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Shakata yog, Moon Jupiter 6/8

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I have mentioned Shakata yog in some of my earlier posts and there was a question on it, so writing a full fledged post. The Shakata yog is caused when the Moon and the Jupiter is at a the 6/8 axis. (Some astrologers consider the 2/12 axis to be problematic, but it is not much of a problem unless both are adversely afflicted by even more malefics).

The Moon travels around the zodiac in 28days so it will be in the 6/8 axis from Jupiter for about 5days in this. So about 18% people will have this, which is illogical. So the effects of Shakata yog are greatly reduced and rendered ineffectual if,

  • Either Jupiter or Moon or both are exalted or in his mooltrikon or own sign. ie if Jupiter is in Cancer, Sagittarius or Pisces or Moon is in Taurus or Cancer.
  • If either is placed in the  kendra houses, 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th.

This is then not a very common combination. There will be very limited number of people who will show the complete effect of this combination.

So let’s analyse this. The vitality of the person/ his environment will be affected. Sometimes he will face very adverse situations which will drain his mind, emotions and health. And after this hopeless despair, he will rise and gain. But he falls followed by the subsequent rise. This cycle continues for a life time.

Shakata yog, Moon Jupiter 6/8

Jupiter and Moon are two very important forces in the horoscope.

  • Moon is the agent of the mind, the sum of all your selves through time/space, the illusion of creation, emotions, mental processes, comforts, security, nurture, nourishment, your needs. The Moon controls your body’s power and also your minds strength. He is the agent in charge of the sookshma sharir or the subtle/ astral body. He is located at the Ajnya chakra ie your third eye.
  • Jupiter is the deep wisdom, hope, auspicious benefits from your past lives, blessings from the divine, your spiritual practices, the grace of the Guru, benevolence, expansion, philosophy and understanding, conducive environment for development of the higher faculties, refinement, support of your peers/patrons. He represents that part of your past lives positive karma which you have chosen to activate in this life as ‘luck’. He is located at the Swadhisthan chakra.

Moon and Jupiter together can be understood as the – karmic seeds of past lives and the possible actions of the current life coupled with the ‘luck’ you have chosen for yourself in this life. If these things work favourably with each other you will have a reasonably easy life on the material, emotional, mental, subtle etc levels.

The 6/8 axis is the most traumatic axis possible (post here). The planets caught in this axis are adversarial to each other and give uncomfortable results. Whatever is represented by them individually will give disturbing results when taken together.

  • The 6th is the karma you have chosen to resolve in this life, a burden consciously chosen at the moment of birth. Awareness of the burden does not make it less easier to bear. 6th is the house of karmic service and sufferings, karmic payback so as to say.
  • The 8th is fundamental changes in the self-identity/environment etc caused by sudden shocking traumatic events. If you use these opportunities to grow you can very fast but these events are very trying that it is difficult.

So Shakata yog can be summarised like this. The quality of the karmic seeds of past lives is a burden. The possible options for actions available to you in the current life are all traumatic. ‘Luck’ is often adverse and fails you just as you need it. This combination of Jupiter-Moon will bring blockages in progress on all levels. Check the houses and signs occupied by them to know which part of your life will be affected the most. And you have chosen this for yourself in this life. The thinking process and creative ability is dimmed as luck is often not in favour. The mind is churning away thinking and evaluating possibilities, you feel the strain. But Moon and Jupiter are both high level benefics. So whatever they do, ultimately they do not harm. The trauma that they will inflict will also have a positive effect. You might not think this to be positive at the time, but when you look back, every adversity has been like a springboard pushing you onwards.

It is the Moon, so rhythm is built-in. With each fall, there is innate potential to rise. The more deeply you fall, the higher you rise. There is a brief moment of utter despair but then you know it is over and a new cycle has begun. This combination invariably brings in spirituality. When the material life kicks you in the ass a few times, you realise that you need to find strength within. So as you rise you try to find your own self inside you, you become more self-sufficient and self reliant.

Your brothers, your uncles/aunts, your own parents, husband/wife, children all give you intense shocks from time to time which can sever your emotional or even physical connection from them. There may be episodes in life when you are completely alone, isolated from your family or the people whom you love (they may not even think about you). Just when you are at your lowest point and desperatly need help, there will be no one. There is intense mental anguish as your emotional supports are jerked away from under your feet. If you try to anchor yourself to another person, in the next cycle he will kick you away. The one whom you love the most will give you the deepest sorrow. You are forced by the rejections around you to seek new directions for your personal evolution. Your sorrow will eventually make you stop relying on others and you will try to develop your own abilities and self reliance.

You are forced to protect your own emotions and your own mind, as the jolts are very heavy. So you think very seriously, from different perspectives and often take radical steps for self-preservation. This might be thought of as head-strong, aggressive, over-reaction, negative etc behaviour by others. This behaviour will ultimately push people away, you might not be very popular in society; no social butterfly you!

Shakata yog, Moon Jupiter 6/8

Thankfully this yog gives material assets, you will be well off, considered an eminent personality in some field, you are not an ordinary person. If the house/ sign of the Moon and Jupiter are powerful in themselves, the person will do immense good for the society and wield real power over others. But there will be periodic humiliations, deprivations, obstacles and persistent personal loneliness. These trials purify the spirit and it ultimately is for a noble cause. And this combination often gives abilities of the spiritual, psychic, occult kind. The ability to control the subtler forces around you. It is latent to begin with, it takes a few cycles to become aware of them. (Shivaji Maharaj, perhaps the greatest Hindu ruler had this combination, we all learn about his life in school. A recent example is Yogi Aurobindo)

There is a possibility of disease to the eyes. The astral body can get affected, crack and aura can leak. (There is one very strange thing, if the person intensely wants his desired or loved one to come near him again, the aura becomes thinner in places and can crack/leak from there). The cyclic intense emotional drama can cause other repercussions on the physical levels depending on the individual horoscope. The person might lose control on his eating habits/ body weight. The 6th house is also of disease, debts, servitude and suffering. So all these things can be triggered from time to time. 8th also represents catastrophic changes including diseases, surgeries etc. So keep the physical health in mind and get a regular yearly check-up etc.

Most importantly do some regular spiritual practice. There is no other way of making sense of all this. The 8th is going deep within yourself, tantra, awareness, occult, the highest spiritual, coming face to face with your own secrets, getting rid of the skeletons in the closet. You have a rare opportunity here, perhaps you chose it because you were inwardly ready for a spiritual transformation. And you gain the spiritual when you sacrifice the material. And the illusions of the material are torn away rather harshly. You are the pure intellect and the impurities are being hammered out of you. Two top benefics, Moon and Jupiter will help you now. You might meet a real Sat-guru to guide you. There will be cyclic falls and rises in your spiritual practice too.  Sometimes you might feel that it is all a waste, but do not stop doing it. It is the only thing which will help direct the energies of this Shakata yog in the best possible manner.

Shakata शकट means a car or a carriage. Yog means union.

The mind is forced to leave all external things that give it support. Till it finds the support it needs within itself. It is a deeply painful process but ultimately worth it. This is the true result of the Shakata yog.

(There is someone very close to me who has this combination. It gives results in its full form as the two Jupiter and Moon occupy the 6th and the 11th house counted from the ascendant. Obviously they in the 6/8 axis among themselves.)

 

Shakata yog, Moon Jupiter 6/8

The 9th house, destiny, luck and blessings

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The 9th house is called the Dharma-sthan, the house of right foundations and right actions. It is the Bhagya-sthan, the house of fortune, divine blessings and luck. Obviously the two are interconnected, if you perform the right actions you are going to get lucky and blessed in life. The owner of this house is called the Dharm-esh or Bhagy-esh and is a very important benefic for the chart. On the whole I find this this house rather difficult to analyse as most of its effects are linked to the spiritual not the material life. And generally clients have very material and practical questions.

One thing is true that this house is highly auspicious. If it and its owner are powerful you will lead a good life whatever the rest of the chart may signify. The 9th house represents ‘auspicious benefits’, which will include blessings from the divine, the Guru/ actual spiritual teacher, peers and patrons, elderly people who guide or help, right actions, ancestors, wisdom, charity, higher emotions, help, prosperity, travel and pilgrimages, etc. These ‘auspicious benefits’ are your own punya-karma/ meritorious actions from your own past lives which are giving their benefits now. You have accrued some positive karma in your past lives, the 9th house reflects this. These ‘auspicious benefits’ are invisible energies which help you when you most need it. The 9th house is a combination of the invisible and the visible, thus is rather typical to interpret.

The 9th house, destiny, luck and blessings

This is also the reason why Sagittarius the natural 9th sign of the zodiac ruled by Jupiter is considered to be a high-voltage sign. Your past lives positive karma is active and may provide you with sudden dramatic luck. The 9th house is just that small part of your past positive karma which is active in this current life. The 9th house indicates how the karma of your past meritorious actions gets allocated and active in in pushing you onwards in your spiritual journey. You may receive material benefits from this house but it is more like ’on the way’. You might be born in a rich household, get sensible parents, a good education, a good wife/ husband, children, enough money and a life of peace and prosperity. All this would be a reflection of your past merits. This has been made available to you so that you can focus on your spiritual life and create more positive karma. It is like you brought your groceries yesterday but cooked and ate them today. Now you need to buy more groceries for tomorrow.

Thus the ‘travel and pilgrimage’ motif of the 9th house. You are ‘travelling’ through life and your Ultimate destination is the ‘pilgrimage’ you are really aiming for. So from the 9th house’s point of view, travel is your life Experience and pilgrimage is your own Reality.

As you travel through life under the guidance of the 9th house’s energies you change. This change will be on the inner level often does percolate to the material level too. As you learn new wisdom, gain new foundations, perform the right actions under the guidance of a senior or your own conscience, you evolve, refine, mature. Depending on how powerful your active past life positive karmas are you will be given opportunities to ‘travel’ and experience Life.

And when do you really travel? If I want to go to Goa, why is it? My Mom’s ancestral village is there, she told me about it, I read about it in the magazines, it is attractive, I desire to go and I have the means to go there. Similarly why would someone want to travel to the Ultimate pilgrimage? Because your spiritual Guru told you that it is your real home, you read it in the Ved /Gita /Devi Mahatmya /Vidnyan Bhairav tantra etc, you saw attractive visions when you did your spiritual practice and you have the necessary positive merit from your past lives to make the journey and reach.

The 9th house, destiny, luck and blessings

 

Then there is always a confusion regarding biological father. Is he the 9th or the 10th house? Astrology is about the influences that the father has on the child. If the biological father taught the child how to live in society, the ethics, value of discipline, capacity to work, money sense etc he is pure 10th house. Most fathers today are pure 10th house. But in addition to all this, if the biological father taught the child spiritual practices then you have to see the 9th house for its influences in addition to the 10th. (This happens only in certain families where puja is a very important part of life, ie practicing Brahmin, priest, astrologer, tantrik etc families, the daily pujas are taught first by the father then the Guru). The spiritual father is the 9th house because it is through him that the child is re-born into the spiritual life, ‘Dwij’. Adopted parents are also to be seen from the 9th house.

A child who is auspicious in every way is born only in a deserving family. Such a child chooses an equally auspicious family where not only his material needs but also his spiritual needs will be catered to. Also parents who have ‘auspicious benefits’ active in this life will have such fortunate children. So for marriage and progeny related questions the 9th house needs to be referred to. In fact for any question where fortune and favour are necessary the 9th house should be checked. Pitrusukha is the happiness from the fathers/ ancestors and also the happiness from your own past lives.

The 9th house is the past auspiciousness and also the destiny of this present life. These two are interconnected. This destiny can be of any type, social, science, spiritual, hard or easy life. But whatever is is it will take you towards your own spiritual goal. If there are benefics here naturally it is going to be quite auspicious and favourable. You will grasp your destined fortune and also enjoy it. But even if there are malefics placed here and they are powerful, you will gain that destined fame, but the price that you will pay for it in your personal life will be heavy. If your 9th house is vacant look for the aspects on it. Look for the power of the 9th house lord in giving results. A powerful 9th lord can elevate the overall horoscope as he is in charge of the uplifting forces flowing in to the personality from the other unknown dimensions.

 

The 9th house, destiny, luck and blessings

Saturn gives you status and money

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Saturn is the most feared of all the grahas, with a dark forbidding and brooding image. In fact, Shani himself is the agent of fear, we are deeply scared of all the things he is connected to in our horoscopes. And it is a very specific kind of fear, it is payback coupled with responsibility and service! Our own actions from some past life are back demanding balancing. If you can identify these areas influenced by Saturn, you are one step ahead in removing your karmic fears. eg, if your Saturn is in the 12th house, you are likely to be rather uncomfortable with receiving guidance from the subconscious, ancestral spirits, your sleep will be affected etc. But if in some way you are able to affirm and convince yourself that there is nothing frightening about all these things and you trust your Saturn, you will be better able to access what is yours from this 12th house.

Saturn gives you luck and money

I have written a post on his true nature, a strict school-teacher he takes down your illusions related to each of the 12 houses one by one systematically, over his transit time of 30years. He grants maturity and also opportunities to work your way through your karmic backlog and balance your karmic account. And he rewards your efforts and gifts you your due, luck and money and a chance to make your name in the society. As the natural ruler of the 10th sign Capricorn and the 11th sign Aquarius, Saturn makes your work for your successes and these achievements are permanent. Whatever we see and perceive, Saturn puts his ‘legal lens’ on it, Is it as per the Law?, It is as per the Right?, and finally, is It as per your own conscience?.

Now you may wonder Mars is the ‘First Born’, Sun is also the ‘Center stage’, both give power and prestige, so whats so special about Saturn’s gifts?

So how does Saturn compare with Mars? Mars is that fiery energy which is, more often than not, unregulated over-kill! Mars is the ultimate competitor, the warrior and always desires to be first. He is the expression of the vitality of the Self-ego, the energies of the ego in motion. He has huge energy stores for any fight, but lacks the maturity and patience to work and wait for the results. Even if he wins he cannot sit down and consolidate his victories, he will be off on another conquest. He does not have the skill to administer to his victories. He will win a piece of land or a nation but then will be at a loss as to what to do with it next! This is not a long term stable success, it is the Thrill of Conquest!

Saturnine energies and the Solar fire are an interesting comparison too. Saturn is the son of the Sun. The Sun is all about entitlement, he wants it because he feels that he has the right to it. He is the King because he is! He has not worked for it and never will. The Sun dazzles his subjects with his radiance and magnificence. He has a large ego, sense of self importance and is self-righteous. Surya is the self ego and voluntary expression of the will power in action. He is uncomfortable with ideas of equality, service and fairness, and will never mingle with or think of the ‘commoner’. His placement in the chart indicates personal self-authority and self-determination. He is defined by only himself. Even if he works for someone, his attitude will be like he has done the other a favour by working for him. He works only for his self-promotion. If he ever gives it will be an attitude of a king distributing largesse among his subjects. He is, in all ways, the Radiant Ruler!

Saturn and Capricorn

Now, Saturn is obligatory or karmic action. He as the natural lord of the 10th Capricorn thus he is social prestige, class structure, responsibilities of the leader, governance, contribution to the society, recognition by the public and the rule maker. He is also the highly professional and career driven man labouring under a heavy-work load. He is the driven, determined common man who has worked hard to reach the top of the social structure by being patient, persevering and consolidating his position and power. He may not get much of an income from public service. He derives his position from the masses he serves, he has no other entitlement to his throne. He may be born into a family already recognised for its social service thus get a step-up. Saturn works in the 10th and the Mars the 1st  (4th from 10th), enjoys his self-ego, position in society etc, the intangible assets of the personality.

And Saturn being the lord of constraints and restrictions, will give out only that much resources as can be effectively used to the last drop. Only then will he release more resources. He is respected because of the quality of his work and his focus on giving back to the society. This is a very responsible position and is affected by presence of benefic and malefic influences of other planets. The exact opposite house to the 10th is the 4th, residences and comforts and in the dasha periods when the 10th is active, the family-time suffers. This is his House of Labour.

But the gift from Saturn is this, you will feel that inner satisfaction of having worked not for personal glory but for sustaining and improving the society structure. These are intangible assets. And the honor that the society bestows on you for being the efficient administrator will be genuine and permanent. Saturn here is the Servant who becomes a Popular King!

Saturn gives you luck and money

Saturn and Aquarius

Now the second sign that Saturn owns, the 11th Aquarius. Here, he regulates linkages and networked systems, the government, large corporations and even the friend-circle. Shani is into all sorts of gatherings, even fan-clubs! The achievements, gain, material goals and luck in the market ecology and the economy are his domain. The 11th ruled groups are intensely social and established on a complex and regular network of human relationships. Saturn sets up the physical structure of the network, the people and also the regulations to operate it. Everyone irrespective of class and creed is welcome here, just the interests should be common. And naturally here too, it is essential to work if something is to be Gained. Thus the 11th is Saturn’s House of Profits.

In this house of Shani, all the grahas do a good job. From the Negotiator Venus, to the Chatty Mercury, the Regal Sun, to the Pedantic Jupiter, the Comfort-seeking Moon and the Competitor Mars all have something for them in these networks. Even the nebulous Ketu is welcome here and the Rahu, the foreigner the rule breaker the opportunist, is welcome to do business here. However the mode and object of gain for each is different as per his nature. Rahu in the 11th works exceptionally well, this is because these networks have controlled components of risk and foreign-ness and selfish-ness which is the domain of Rahu. So, if you understand the Rules/Shani you can take a Risk/Rahu!

In the 11th, Laabh/Gain, Shani gives the ambitious, the right to aspire, to achieve and to create tangible gains! In the 11th, Saturn earns income thorough every source possible and in the (4th from the 11th) 2nd house Venus stores his treasury as a resource!

Shani is the agent of ethics, the rules that a society lives by and thrives. Shani is the force which makes you work off your karmic debts, helps set you set up your social position, helps set up the society, helps set up the markets, assures gains, and also grants you maturity in the process. What more can you ask for!

So you see, Shani does give you your Luck and your Money, but only after making you work hard for it, so that you appreciate it all the more! A deeply-felt Namaskar of gratitude to Shani for his blessings!